Machine for separating peanuts



NTTED STATES PATENT @EEicE. T

ALONZO W. BALIlARD, OF BUCKHORN, VIRGINIA.

MACHINE FOR SEPARATING PEANUTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 311,712, dated February 3, 1885. Application filed October 6, rest. (Nom cert To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALONZO W. BALLARD, of Buckhorn, in the county of Nansemond and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Separating Peanuts; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form apart-of this specification, andin which Figure l is a perspective view of my improved device for separating peanuts, and Fig. 2 is a top view of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both the figures.

My invention has relation to devices for separating and assorting peanuts and other nuts or fruit; and it consists in the improved construction and combination of parts of such a device, consisting of a revolving table having a raised central portion, and scrapers or sweepers arranged relatively to the table, so as to scrape the assorted peanuts off from the table at separate places, as hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, the letter A indicates a table having its central portion, B, raised so as to form a circular step. and secured upon the upper end of a vertical shaft, 0, suitably journaled at its lower end. The under side of the table is provided with a cogged rim, D, which is engaged by a cog wheel or pinion, E. upon the drive-shalt F, which imparts a slow rotary motion to the table. A post or upright, G, is placed near the edge of the table, and has a slot, H, level with the outer and lower portion of the table, through which slot a flat bar or scraper, I, projects, being secured by means of a setscrew, J the said scraper bearing lightly against the upper surface of the annular lower step of the table with its lower edge, and against the shoulder of the central step with its end. Another post or upright, K, is placed a short distance from the former post, and has two slots, L and M, the lower one, L, of which is level with the lower step of the table, while the upper one, M, is level with the upper central step. Two tlat bars or scrapers, N and O. are secured by means ot' set-screws P in the slots, the lower scraper bearing against the lower step and the upper scraper bearing against the upper step ot' the table, and the outer ends of these scrapers are bev' eled at their edges and slide in beveled notches Q, in the side of a post, It, secured outside 0L.

the post K. The table is slowly revolved in a direction from the single scraper I toward the two scrapers, and the peanuts are fed upon the lower annular step immediately at'- ter it has passed the lower of the two scrapers. As, now, the peanuts are carried around upon the table, the inferior peanuts are picked out from the same and thrown upon the upper step by persons standing around the table; and it will be seen that when the select peanuts arrive at the first scraper they will be scraped off from the lower step into a suitable receptacle. whereupon the poorer grade peanuts upon the upper step are scraped down upon the lower step by means of the upper one of the two scrapers, and again scraped off from the lower step, by means of the lower scraper, into a suitable receptacle.

Having thus described my invention, I ciaim- The combination of a circular table having its central portion raised to form a circular step, means for revolving the table, a scraper bearing against the lower annular step, and two scrapers secured one above the other and bearing against the upper and the lower steps, as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereunto a't'tixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALONZO WV. BALLARD.

Witnesses:

LOUIS BAGGER, AUGUST PETERSON, 

